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Horizons in Medicine program accepting applications

January 29, 2006

Wright State is now taking applications for the 2006 Horizons in Medicine program, scheduled for June 14 through July 26, 2006. This unique program offers high school students, mostly from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds, the opportunity to learn the science behind and see the delivery of health care that forms the foundation for having a career in medicine. This unique program provides high school students the opportunity to prepare for a career in science and health care, earn money in an interesting summer job, and potentially receive college scholarships. The application deadline for this year's program is March 17, 2006.

Few educational initiatives have stood the test of time as well as the Horizons in Medicine program. Since 1979, more than 525 high school students have completed Horizons in Medicine at Wright State University, with more than 90 percent of past participants entering college and approximately 80 percent of them graduating from college.

Horizons in Medicine is designed to give students a sense of the career possibilities in health care and to show them the kind of serious preparation needed to enter such careers. Students spend mornings in classrooms and laboratories at Wright State, where they are introduced to subjects such as anatomy, biochemistry and physiology. They spend afternoon working in hospitals, community clinics, and other clinical sites throughout the community where students earn stipends for their afternoon work assignments. All students who successfully complete the Horizons program receive one-year scholarships to Wright State University.

"For 28 years the Horizons in Medicine program has provided invaluable real life experiences within Dayton's medical community to young people who are interested in careers in medicine," states Gary LeRoy, M.D., assistant dean for minority affairs, and associate professor of family medicine at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. "I am proud to participate in this opportunity to interact with and train these students during these preparatory years, and I wish that more students were given this golden opportunity to spend a few weeks learning what it is really like to be a medical student. It is a challenge that every young mind interested in medical science should be able to experience."